


loyalty program

by forsekais



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: A series of AUs that no one asks for: Grocery store episode, Alternate Universe - Convenience Store, Attempt at Humor, Blow Jobs, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, What Have I Done, in which everyone is weird
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:33:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24338950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forsekais/pseuds/forsekais
Summary: Jongin works the late night shift. Sehun cries over an avocado.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 25
Kudos: 1006





	loyalty program

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to this week's episode of "The AUs that no one ever asks for", featuring grocery store clerk Jongin and customer Sehun. It started out as a fun, random idea that popped up in my mind, and then. I don't know how I ended up here.
> 
> To the 7-Eleven staff who always ask me to join the 7-Rewards program, I'm sorry for always saying no. I'll join next time you ask me, I promise. 
> 
> [ Twitter ♡︎](https://twitter.com/forsekais)

Jongin meets Sehun in the produce section.

He usually isn't the type to start a conversation with customers. He has the late night shift from 9 PM to 3 AM, so it's quiet most of the time. The regulars are either students who come in to buy instant ramen and energy drinks to survive deadlines or graveyard shift workers from construction sites nearby. Jongin likes the solitude; it makes stocking the shelves and filling the ice machines almost feel like meditation.

Then one night, he comes across Sehun crying over an avocado.

When he first hears sniffles, he thinks he's imagining things because according to the numbers on the clock, which are tiny from where Jongin stands, it's 1:45 in the morning. No one should be in the produce section at this ungodly hour. Jongin is about to head back to the cash register when sniffles turn into sobs and Jongin stops in his track, perplexed, pondering his next move. Frankly, people crying is not his business, for he isn't sure how to say the right thing. What if he makes it worse? He can play safe by pretending he hasn't heard a thing, but then, if someone is distressed, he has a duty to help. Small gesture, big impact, as his mother always tells him.

Jongin puts down the cereal boxes he's been arranging and turns a corner. Right there, on the floor, is a silver-haired guy with an avocado in his hand. His shoulders are trembling as he tries to wipe his tears away with his other hand. Jongin clears his throat awkwardly.

"Are you alright?"

The guy doesn't look up. "Do you ever feel like an avocado?"

Jongin blinks. "Excuse me?"

"Avocado seems perfect. It's evergreen, available year-round, everyone likes it," the guy hiccups. "But when you cut it in half and remove the pit, it's just empty. See how easy it is to scoop out the flesh after twisting the pit out? Humans are fragile like that. You break your walls and they can take away _everything_."

Jongin feels like he regrets taking his part-time job at this grocery store, but he manages to let out a soft _"Yeah, but are you sure you are alright?"_ because customers come first.

"Happiness is fleeting. I'll get better eventually," the guy breathes deeply. "Thanks, man. I'm Sehun."

"Well then, Sehun," Jongin squats down and places a Kleenex three-ply ultra soft pocket pack next to Sehun. "If you need anything, I'll be at the register, okay?"

Sehun nods. Jongin watches as Sehun dabs his eyes with a tissue and mumbles something to the avocado. He may as well gift the avocado to Sehun, since Sehun seems like he already develops an emotional tether with the fruit and Jongin's boss wouldn't mind if an overripe avocado goes missing.

So when Sehun comes up to the register forty minutes later with the avocado and Jongin's half-empty Kleenex pack, Jongin smiles and stops him from digging through his pockets for his wallet. "They're on the house," Jongin explains. "You should go home and get some sleep. Can't go wrong with a good sleep, you know?"

Sehun nods again. His eyes are still red, but he looks much calmer.

"Have a nice sleep, please come again," Jongin says and as soon as Sehun leaves, a couple of drunk teenagers romp into the store. Jongin sighs. By the time Jongin kicks them out, it's half an hour past closing time, and Jongin is too tired to remember Sehun and his philosophizing on avocado.

♡

Sehun comes again the next day. He's wearing a varsity jacket and a black beanie that covers most his stylish silver hair. He heads towards the cooler section and returns with banana milk, slamming it on the register counter and jolting a nodding Jongin awake.

"Hi."

"Hi, how are you doing?" Jongin beams.

"Good."

Jongin scans the banana milk. "Do you want to join our loyalty program?"

"No."

"Would you like to donate for Aid For Africa? A donation of 2,000 won can provide two children with effective malaria treatment."

"No."

"Do you need a bag?"

"No."

"Your total is 1,000 won."

"Okay."

♡

On Monday, Sehun comes waltzing into the store with a cheerful blue-haired guy, who is also an eye candy. Like birds of a feather, attractive people flock together. They walk around, fill up their basket with chips and soda bottles. Sehun barely opens his mouth; it's not like he needs to when Blue Hair keeps talking rapidly about his new boss, who apparently could be a serial killer in disguise because _"If looks could kill, my office would be victims to a cold-blooded massacre."_

"Hi," Jongin puts on his customer-service smile. "How are you guys doing?"

"Great," Sehun mutters.

"I'm actually dying," Blue Hair sighs dramatically while Sehun unloads their basket onto the till. "My new boss always has this deadly glare and I feel so nervous every time he passes by. At this rate I'm gonna die of a heart attack before I complete my internship."

"Maybe he has astigmatism," Jongin supplies helpfully.

"What?"

"The cornea and lens in your eyes are curved evenly to refract light rays properly. When either of them have irregular shape, it's called a refractive error," Sehun says glumly, then frowns at a pack of condom in the basket. "What's this?"

"It's Monday night. I need to fuck," Blue Hair says casually. Sehun's frown deepens. Blue Hair ignores his judgmental stare. "So, what does this cornea and lens curve stuff really mean?"

"If you have astigmatism, your vision is blurred or distorted," Jongin says. "You have to squint to see clearly."

"Ah!" Blue Hair claps. "See, Sehunnie? This is how you explain things," he winks at Jongin. "You're smart. Are you a med student?"

Jongin starts ringing up the items. "No, but one of our regulars was. Before he left for his residency in Busan, he often came here to study for his exams. I volunteered myself as his study partner and ended up memorizing some of the terms."

"You're smart _and_ sweet," Blue Hair coos. "I'm Baekhyun."

"Keep it in your pants, Baekhyun," Sehun says.

"I'm just being friendly," Baekhyun corrects pointedly. "What's your name, cute cashier?"

"Jongin," Jongin laughs as he carefully puts the chips in a paper bag. He once read about a grocery store incident in which a man choked a clerk for smashing his bags of chips. While Baekhyun and Sehun both seem harmless, he can't be too careful. "Do you want to join our loyalty program?"

"No," Sehun says.

"Would you like to make a donation to Angel House?"

"What happened to Aid For Africa?"

"We donate to a different charitable organization every month," Jongin replies. "For Angel House, the donations would go to providing school and personal supplies for elementary school kids in one academic year."

"No," Sehun repeats.

"That'll be 10,000 won," Jongin says. "Cash or credit?"

"Cash."

"Thank you," Jongin takes the notes from Sehun's hand. "Please come again."

"We will!" Baekhyun chirps.

♡

"Do you want to join our loyalty program?"

Sehun takes off one of his earpieces. "My great-great-grandmother is calling me to dinner so I must depart immediately."

Jongin tilts his head. "But it's 2 AM?"

"It's another way of saying _No_ ," Sehun says. "Since you won't stop asking no matter how many times I've said no."

"Cool," Jongin says. Today's purchase is Diet Moutain Dew Code Red. "I assume you don't need a bag?"

"No," Sehun says. "Are you still collecting donations for Angel House?"

"Yes," Jongin beams. "Would you—"

"No."

♡

Sehun has company on Thursday and it's not Baekhyun. This friend is way taller than Baekhyun, but he's just as loud and talkative. Jongin wonders how Sehun ends up with bubbly, loquacious friends when he himself seems like a quiet type. He never speaks to Jongin in long, conversational sentences, except for the first time they met. Jongin doesn't mind, though. Sehun is cute.

Sehun's friend is also cute, he's got the kind of face that stands in front of the line at important event broadcasts. He doesn't crack genitalia jokes every ten seconds like Baekhyun, so at least Sehun has a normal friend. Jongin is glad.

"Can I slap this?"

Jongin turns away from the milk jugs to find Sehun's friend activating his Ultimate Puppy Eyes mode. Jongin is weak for puppy eyes, because he loves dogs but never has one. His sister is allergic to dogs and when Jongin finally moved away for college, he was too busy to take care of any pet. Long story short, everything puppy-alike is Jongin's Achilles heel.

"Yes," Jongin says without thinking.

It is not until he sees Sehun's friend enthusiastically slapping rice bags in the pasta and rice aisle that he realizes what he's agreed to. The guy lets out a contented sigh at the poof sound following his eager smack. He looks completely at peace, like he's discovered a new kind of isolated personal joy.

Jongin shrugs. Sehun's friend slapping all that rice actually makes it easier to stack more bags, which means when Jongin has to do it it will take less time to slide the bags along. It's a win-win situation.

"It's really therapeutic," Sehun's friend flashes Jongin a gummy smile. "I'm Chanyeol."

"Chanyeol," Jongin takes Chanyeol's hand, shaking it. "Do you have a points card?"

Sehun flips through a glossy magazine from the rack near the register as he waits for Jongin to ring up a Sour Patch pack for Chanyeol. "They have a loyalty program," says Sehun.

"Oh," Chanyeol smiles thoughtfully. "Can I use yours instead?"

"I don't have one."

"Really?" Chanyeol asks. "But you come here every day?"

"I don't need one."

"He told me that unless I were Miranda Kerr, the answer is always _No_."

Chanyeol snorts, and gives his ID to Jongin so that Jongin can help him sign up for the store's loyalty program.

"Don't believe him," Chanyeol whispers. "He may never be able to let go of his heterosexual crush on Miranda Kerr, but he thinks you're—"

Sehun silences Chanyeol with a jab to his side. Chanyeol loses his balance and knocks over the condom display rack. He trips over a strawberry flavored packet and lands straight on his ass.

"Anyways," Jongin begins. "The local kid soccer team is looking for sponsors. My boss has put up a second donation box. Would you like to contribute?"

"No."

♡

"My name is Jongdae."

Jongin nods at a handsome guy with a dazzling smile that could save kittens and stop the apocalypse. "Jongdae," he looks at a granola bar and a pack of organic tampons. "For your girlfriend?"

"Yeah," Jongdae's happy expression suddenly turns serious. "But she might have to share with that guy over there," he makes a vague gesture towards the drink cooler, where Sehun is staring at a row of canned tea. "His hormonal shift is on point today. It's definitely his time of the month."

At this point, Jongin is used to Sehun's friends introducing themselves to him and telling him their favorite Sehun story. He raises an eyebrow. "Sehun has a tough day?"

"He seethed at me stepping on a _leaf_ ," Jongdae rolls his eyes. "He called me a heartless bastard and almost punched me because I stepped on a _fallen_ leaf. It's not like leaves can feel pain."

"Indeed, plants have a sense of touch. Plant leaves can fire pain signals to trigger the release of defence chemicals that help protect the plant from danger. It's similar to the pain reflex in humans," Jongin says.

Jongdae stares at him, flustered.

"I mean," Jongin tries again. "I'm not sure if a leaf itself is capable of feelings. The study didn't specifically mention that. So. Yeah. You're right. Maybe Sehun just isn't feeling well."

Jongdae replies with a light chuckle. "Do you always go academic on customers like that?"

"Only to those who are interested," Jongin says sincerely. "Actually, these are things that my customers told me. I just happen to have a good memory."

"Is that so?" Jongdae props his elbows on the till. "Then I assume you remember the story of Sehun getting piss drunk last month?"

Chanyeol'd told him during his regular midnight visits to the store for the sole purpose of slapping rice bags. "The one where he sang Red Velvet's songs and crashed at his high school friend's house? Except that his friend is studying abroad and his younger sister lives there and Sehun accidentally said _'Daddy's home'_ to the girl? "

"Yeah, that beautiful story," Jongdae puts a hand over his heart. "But here's the best part. Junmyeon's sister called Chanyeol but he was out of town so I went there instead and Sehun was talking in his sleep on Junmyeon's bed. Can you guess what he said?"

"No," Jongin shakes his head. "But I can guess what he's going to say now."

Jongdae's mischievous smirk fades as he feels Sehun's ominous presence behind him. Sehun levels him with an angry, piercing glare and Jongdae quickly collects his items and scoots away with his tail tucked firmly between his legs.

"One hot chocolate for Sehun," Jongin deposits a paper cup on his till. He quickly scans Sehun's picks, a bag of beef jerky and a can of AriZona lemon tea. "That'll be 3,000 won."

Sehun stares at him blankly. "I didn't order any hot chocolate."

"I did, so it's on the house," Jongin picks up the cup and waits for Sehun to take it. "You look like you can use some hot chocolate."

Sehun's lips quirk up into a faint smile as he reaches out to grab the cup. His slender fingers brush over Jongin's skin, heating every inch he touches. "That bad?" he murmurs. "How do I look?"

Jongin thinks for a brief moment before deciding that honesty is the best policy. "Really handsome."

He's surprised to see a faint blush tinge Sehun's cheeks. Silence stretches between them until Sehun's deep exhale crackles through the air. "Are you going to ask me to join your loyalty program?"

"Do you want to join our loyalty program?"

"No."

♡

"Your hair is not silver," Jongin comments. He doesn't mention that it has turned into a weird shade of beige, but Sehun probably knows it.

"Light color fades pretty quickly," Sehun runs a hand through his hair. "I don't want to recolor so often. It's bad for my scalp."

"You have to use purple toning shampoo?" Jongin punches the code of banana milk into the computer since the scanner is broken. It won't be fixed at least until tomorrow morning; Jongin has to manually check out items during this shift. He hopes it's going to be a very slow night.

"It helps maintain the color, but it makes my hair dry," Sehun mumbles, sounding genuinely disappointed. He pouts, and Jongin resists the urge to give him a lollipop and pat his head like what he always does to those little kids in his neighborhood.

"Have you tried alternating between sulfate-free moisturizing shampoo and purple toning shampoo?" Jongin pauses. "Don't mind me. I've never bleached my hair so I know nothing about this hair coloring stuff."

"I think it's a great idea," Sehun hums. "Does the store have any good moisturizing shampoo?"

"Come back next week," Jongin says. "We restock haircare and body care aisle every Sunday, so the best time to check it out would be on Monday."

Sehun grabs his milk. "I come here on a daily basis anyways."

"You're right," Jongin grins cheekily. "What do you think about a points card? You can earn triples points on your first purchase and get 20% off during your birthday month."

"No."

"Nice. And by the way, we are collecting craft supplies and board games for a nursing home in Yeonhui-dong. If you have any spare Exploding Kittens or Monopoly—"

"I don't," Sehun declares. "Bye."

♡

Minseok has a confused frown on his face as he reads through the papers Jongin gives him. "Why do we need to order four bottles of Moroccan Oil Moisture Repair Shampoo? Aren't they a bit too expensive? We have Tresemme and local brands already?"

"Because customer demand," Jongin replies intelligently.

"You mean the cute guy who only shows up during your shift," Minseok deadpans. "Did he join our loyalty program?"

"...No."

"Good grief," Minseok takes a silver fountain pen from his pocket and signs. "Just how hard can it be?"

♡

It's just another day when the bell over the glass door chimes at 1 AM and Sehun walks in, red earphones dangling loosely around his neck. He stops at the register, pulls his hood down, revealing a mop of smooth, freshly colored silver hair. Jongin's gaze crawls over the modelesque face, high cheekbones, sharp jaw and elegant nose. Sehun could literally be a runway supermodel. Jongin doesn't know why he still goes to grocery store at ass o'clock to get his junk food fix while he could wear twenty thousand dollars worth of designer clothes and accessories and eat brie fondue with roasted vegetables on a platter.

Jongin makes a startled sound when Sehun lifts an inquisitive brow at him, realizing that he's been staring for too long. "Sorry. How can I help you?"

Sehun's face is expressionless. "Does it hurt?"

"When I fell from heaven?"

"No," says Sehun. "Before that. When you tripped over your shoelace and fell face-first into a stack of flour bags yesterday."

That was not yesterday's proudest moment. "How did you know?"

"Baekhyun texted me," Sehun sounds bored.

"But Baekhyun wasn't there?"

"He heard from Chanyeol who heard from Jongdae who heard from your boss," Sehun examines a pack of mini gummy burgers.

"You know Minseok hyung????"

"I don't," Sehun passes Jongin a 5,000 won bill over the register. "Jongdae does. But again, Jongdae knows everyone in Seoul."

"Right," Jongin hands Sehun his change and his gummy pack. "What did your advisors say about joining our loyalty program?"

"They've come to a unanimous decision of _No_ on that."

Jongin sighs. " _Who_ are your advisors, then?"

"It's classified," Sehun says as if he were a spy and not a Biotechnology major struggling with his senior year research project. Jongdae even showed Jongin a photo of Sehun in a white lab coat, looking disgruntled and hot simultaneously.

"Perhaps you have an extra set of Cards Against Humanity?"

"I don't play board games," Sehun says. "And I don't need a bag."

"I'm not going to offer you one," Jongin snorts. "Gotta love the environment."

♡

After Jongin asks Sehun to join the store's loyalty program for the 99th time, Sehun stops coming.

The first day it happens, Jongin doesn't think much about it. Maybe Sehun is just busy; he has a honors thesis to write after all. Jongin spends his shift bagging Monster Energy and ramyeon and tries not to be sad. He doesn't want to appear pathetic. He has customers to serve.

"Can you at least make an effort to look like you're here because you want this job and not because I held you at gunpoint when you signed your contract?"

Jongin waves Minseok off. "You didn't hold me at gunpoint?"

"That's the spirit," Minseok agrees. He looks ethereal with heavy eyeliner around his feline eyes. Jongin stares. His boss is an attractive man, though that doesn't explain why he ignores his Master's in Education to run a grocery store and a night club for a living. Attractive people are weird.

"Smile, Jongin," Minseok urges.

"I'm smiling," Jongin insists. It's been three days since he last saw Sehun. This is the most pleasant smile he can muster. He isn't paid enough to try harder.

"Here," Minseok gives him a fluffy bear ears headband. "Wear this. Stop smiling, you look creepy."

"I'm cute," Jongin says petulantly. Minseok seems satisfied with Bear Jongin. "Do you want a set of bunny ears?" He asks. "You know, to spice up your boring, tedious graveyard shift?"

"This is a grocery store."

A thoughtful expression makes its way to Minseok's face. "And your point is?"

♡

On the fifth day, Jongin regrets getting attached to his customer. _Sehun_ , specifically.

"Hi."

Jongin feels like bursting into tears. "Sehun used to call me like that," he sniffs a little bit too loudly.

"The cute guy who has a crush on you?" Taemin, one of his ex-regulars, asks. Taemin used to come for his daily dose of Mountain Dew before he graduated and accepted a job offer at a luxury resort in Jeju. He comes back to Seoul every other weekend to see his mom and never forgets to stop by the store.

Jongin splutters. "What? Hold on. How the hell do you know Sehun?"

"I have a friend who knows a friend of a friend who knows Jongdae," Taemin shrugs. "And Baekhyun is my dongsaeng. We both joined our college's drama club. We still keep in touch, you know."

"I don't," Jongin says. "But what do you mean by _crush_?"

His confusion must show, because Taemin takes a step back. Then two. Then three. "I mean nothing," he laughs, but it sounds like he's choking on an apple.

Then Taemin moonwalks out of the door.

A boy with short jetblack hair and thick chunky glasses comes to the register with his items. Diet Coke, Oreos, Lay's and Kellogg's frosted flakes. Jongin scans them soullessly.

"That'll be 13,000 won," he says in a bland monotone. "Would you like to join our loyalty program?"

"Maybe next time," the boy answers politely and somehow it hits Jongin like a ton of bricks. He _misses_ Sehun.

"Can you please say no?"

The boy blinks. "I'm sorry?"

"I just really need it," Jongin hopes his voice doesn't crack because he can't get emotional in front of a customer. It's not professional. But neither is what he's going to ask. "I will ask you again if you want to join the loyalty program and can you please say no? Like _No_. A single word."

"...Okay," the boy nods. "Go ahead."

"Do you want to join our loyalty program?"

"No."

It doesn't feel the same.

♡

Chanyeol picks up Jongin's call on the seventh day since Sehun's mysterious disappearance.

"Sorry Jongin, I'm in Singapore right now." Chanyeol says, his voice distorted by static. "I'm competing in a regional tournament with my college's basketball team. Coach promoted me to first string at the last minute so I didn't have time to tell you. Everything's alright there?"

"No," Jongin clutches onto his phone, imagining it to be Chanyeol's long arm for a faux sense of comfort. "It's been a week since Sehun came to the store. Is _he_ alright?"

A pregnant pause. Jongin thinks he's lost the signal, but then comes Chanyeol's reply. "He's not dead, if that's what you're worrying about," Chanyeol's voice softens for some unfathomable reason. "He might be busy with lab experiments. Why don't you ask him?"

Jongin bites his lip. "I don't have his number."

"I can give it to you. Grab a pen," Chanyeol commands, "and tell me once you're ready."

Jongin knocks a row of hand sanitizers off the register when he leans over to grab a pen in a hurry. He can't find a note, but his palm would suffice. "I'm ready."

Silence.

"I'm ready," he repeats. "Chanyeol?"

Suddenly Jongin hears a high-pitched screeching noise that sounds like a train suddenly slamming on its brakes, metal rubbing rapidly against metal. Chanyeol is saying something, but he couldn't make out any of it. The noise gets louder, and suddenly the line goes dead.

Jongin lowers his phone only to meet with his reflection in the black screen. His phone was dead. Like the phone call. Like his soul.

He receives a text from Taemin a few hours later. _Chanyeol wanted me to tell you that his coach found out he was using his phone so you won't be hearing from him until he returns to Seoul next weekend_.

Jongin's shoulders drop as a swell of utter helplessness engulfs him.

♡

Sehun shows up after two weeks when Jongin just begins to transition from being a panicked gay to being a panicked gay with a frozen heart.

Over the course of fourteen days, he's undergone a series of emotional roller-coasters. Did he say something wrong or do something inapproriate? Did he make Sehun uncomfortable? Where did it all go wrong? So many questions.

Then one night, as he makes himself spinach apple avocado smoothie at 3 AM to get rid of overripe avocados, he decides, _'No more.'_

Jongin has reached zen. There is no him, others, any sense of self. Things no longer exist in its duality sense. It's just as is. Sun is warm, grass is green, Sehun never comes back.

Until he does.

It's 2.45 AM on a Tuesday. The last customer left ten minutes ago. Jongin has finished stocking the cooler and sweeping the floor, and is deciding whether he should grind the coffee bean or leave it to Mark, the morning shift employee, when the bell tingles and before Jongin can bemoan the miserable state of his life, he sees Sehun swooping towards him in his perfectly windblown hair glory.

Sehun is bright red. Sweat dribbles down his temples, and his breaths come fast and shallow when he blurts out, "Would you like to make out with me?"

"Uhm." Jongin has never reached zen. His back feels strangely sweaty and he feels like going into cardiac arrest. "I."

Sehun's eyes widen. "Oh my god. I mean go out – like, if you want to go out with me? To dinner? Lotte World? Or a movie? Or not because I'm a coward who is too scared to confess his feelings and you are probably mad at me for pulling that disappearing act?"

Jongin wills himself not to flap his arms like the flappy bird in that mobile game he once was addicted to. He settles with a squawk, which is totally manly in his opinion.

"Jongin, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to _poof_ like that," Sehun makes a wild gesture with his hands and honestly it looks adorable? Sehun has a habit of talking with his hands and Jongin finds it endearing. "Oh god, this is so fucking difficult. I've been sitting in front of my mirror at home practicing this speech for two weeks but I didn't expect the gay panic to take control over me. Can I just make out with you instead? Fuck, I mean go out. G-o-o-u-t."

"Okay," Jongin tells him, maddeningly calm. "The back room?"

Sehun flicks his own forehead with his finger, disbelief evident in his tone. "We're going out in the back room?"

"Something like that," Jongin says. "We're making out in the back room."

♡

As soon as they enter the dimly lit back room, Jongin pushes Sehun against the door and kisses him.

Sehun kisses back like he's been waiting to do this for so long, grinding his tongue hungrily against Jongin's. Jongin slides a hand beneath Sehun's shirt and grazes the taut abdomen, and then Sehun arches his back and _moans_ into Jongin's mouth. The air around them suddenly becomes too hot, almost unbreathable.

"You taste so good," Sehun murmurs against Jongin's lips, voice thickened with desire. " _Too_ good."

"Yeah?" Jongin tilts his head to give Sehun full access to his bare neck. "Tell me more about it."

"Yeah," Sehun traces his tongue down Jongin's neck, his teeth scraping against the sensitive skin of Jongin's throat. Jongin growls impatiently because this is not enough. He wants _more, more, more_. "Wow, that's hot."

"What?"

"The sound you just made," Sehun whispers breathlessly. "You're hot."

"Come here," Jongin groans. "Stop talking."

"Can I try something?"

"Other than kissing me? I don't think so," Jongin slides a hand down Sehun's back to palm his ass. "Now if you could shut up and let me—"

Jongin's words are cut off as Sehun tugs at his collar and shoves him against the opposite wall with a strength Jongin doesn't know he possesses. Jongin yelps as his back collides with the sturdy surface, but before he can protest, Sehun drops to his knees and unfastens Jongin's jeans in the blink of an eye, pulling his erection out eagerly.

"What—"

"Now if you could shut up and let me," Sehun mimics and then leans forward to suck Jongin's dick. It feels like his wet dream with a magnitude of ten thousand. Sehun starts with a few experimental licks at the head, his tongue wet and slick and devastating. Jongin throws his head back, an instant whimper leaving his throat unthinkingly and Jongin knows he should feel ashamed for being uncharacteristically surrendered, but he doesn't, not when Sehun takes more of his length with fevor, his hands digging into Jongin's hips. He sucks and licks in a flurry of tongue, breathing heavily through his nose. Jongin places a hand on the back of Sehun's head, his hips involuntarily pushing forward. "Sorry," he grunts, but Sehun pays him no mind, just focuses on getting Jongin's dick as far down his throat as he can. When the tip of his dick hits the back of Sehun's throat, Jongin finds himself closer to losing his mind. As Sehun swallows down earnestly, Jongin tugs at his hair and pulls, hard enough for Sehun to draw back. Jongin whimpers and glances down to see Sehun looking up at him with a wild glint in his eyes, his cheeks rosy and his breaths coming out in shattered gasps, as if he were the one on the receiving end of this fucking fantastic experience. Jongin has never been more turned on in his life. 

"Your nails hurt," Sehun says, cupping his hand around Jongin's balls and massages them lightly. Jongin is sure that he looks like a disheveled mess right now, but he couldn't get enough of Sehun. He's been with different partners before, but it's never like this. There's just something about Sehun that makes him want to press until he drowns in an ocean of thin lips and milky skin. He squeezes out a sound of acknowledgment between gritted teeth, patting at Sehun's neck with his palm, and Sehun wastes no time in taking his dick all the way back into his mouth again, head bobbing up and down faster. Jongin feels his whole body shivering with pleasure, astounded by Sehun's enthusiasm. The sensations are too overwhelming with Sehun sucking harder and deeper. Jongin can hear his own quickened breathing in his ears, and Sehun probably hears it too, because he drags his wet lips along the side of his dick then swirls his tongue around the tip passionately, like he was born to do this. 

"Sehun," Jongin rasps, his thighs shaking violently. Sehun hums in response, sending a wave of vibrations throughout Jongin's body as he swallows him up to the hilt, nuzzling his nose against the tangle of pubic hair and then Jongin is gone before he knows it, coming down Sehun's throat with a low cry. He takes a few minutes to regain his breath, keeping his eyes on Sehun the entire time when the latter pulls away and sits down on the floor, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. 

Sehun staggers to his feet moments later, swaying a little and Jongin reaches out to steady him. "Easy," he murmurs, pulling Sehun closer by the waist, "I still need you here." 

Sehun is so warm. Jongin kisses him again, tasting the bitterness of what must be his come on Sehun's tongue. He trails his fingers along the base of Sehun's neck, gently stroking the skin there until he is rewarded with soft, needy whines. It's strange to see Sehun melt in his embrace, pliant and beautiful and so fucking _hot_. Jongin moves his lips down Sehun's bare throat and takes his time to savor the fluttering pulse and every desperate incoherent sound being drawn out. 

"Oh God," Sehun groans when Jongin reaches into his underwear and wraps a hand firmly around his dick. "Oh _God_."

"Thanks, but I prefer my real name."

Sehun is already hard — has been for a while, Jongin realizes at the sight of Sehun's dick jutting straight out, the flared head glistening with precome and the thick vein throbbing along his shaft. It takes Jongin's breath away in a kind of way where he feels oddly triumphant knowing that Sehun gets a raging boner by sucking him off. He gives Sehun's pulsing dick a few pumps, working his way up and down until he finds the perfect rhythm that makes Sehun buck his hips up and rut into Jongin's controlling hand fervently. Jongin slides his fingertips around the tip, smearing the drops of clear fluid across it as he rubs his thumb over a spot that reduces Sehun to a shuddering mess against him.

"Jongin, please—", Sehun whimpers, lips glazing over Jongin's ear as Jongin strokes him faster, fondling his balls with the other hand. Sehun chants his name like it's a mantra, broken voice mixed with breathy sigh as he digs deep crescents into Jongin's biceps and comes over Jongin's fist in pearly white spurts. 

He collapses forward, chest heaving, wrapping his arms around Jongin. They revel in the euphoric post-orgasm haze as their breathing slowly returns to normal. Their eyes meet when Sehun detangles himself from the anchor of Jongin's solid warmth, and Jongin doesn't know what Sehun thinks, but whatever it is it must be good because seconds later Sehun lands his lips on Jongin's, kissing him sweet and slow as if they had all the time in the world.

"I need to close the store," Jongin says.

"I'll help you," Sehun smiles at him. "Then we can hang out at my place? I have homemade brownie and Oreo ice cream."

"I'll have to think about it," Jongin pretends.

"I'll blow you again when we wake up," Sehun offers.

"I want love, not sex," Jongin starts tucking himself back in his jeans and waits for Sehun to do the same.

"So..." Sehun starts, wiping his come with the hem of his shirt. Jongin grimaces.

"So," he continues when Sehun stops mid-sentence. "Are you driving or are we taking a cab?"

♡

"I write a song."

Jongin pauses in the middle of reorganizing the bubble gum display. "For your final essay in Philosophy class?"

"Fuck the essay. We die like men." Chanyeol exclaims. "Do you want to listen to it?"

"Don't," Sehun's voice pipes up from the chips aisle. "It's a waste of time. He writes a song about slapping rice bags."

"Well," Jongin says. "Is it a rap song?"

"Of course, I'm going to be the future Eminem."

Jongin glances up to the dark circles under Chanyeol's bloodshot eyes, his pasty cheeks and greasy hair stuck out from under his snapback. He glances down to Chanyeol's sagging plaid pajama pants and worn flip flops. It's sad how senior year can change people.

"Do you want a Nacho Cheese Doritos?" Jongin asks. "It's on the house. And if you need to film a MV with the rice bags, let me know so I can reserve the pasta and rice aisle for you."

Chanyeol sniffs. "You're the best." There are tears in his eyes. "Sehunnie is one lucky man."

Sehun literally shoves a Nacho Cheese Doritos in Chanyeol's face. "Why are you even here?"

"Reasons," Chanyeol answers. "I'm also in the loyalty program. I can be here whenever I want."

"Speaking of that," Jongin glances over his shoulder to where Sehun is about to step on Chanyeol's feet. "Sehun, why do you hate the loyalty program so much?"

"He doesn't hate it," Chanyeol says through a mouthful of Doritos. "He just wanted excuses to talk to you."

"But," Jongin looks at Sehun, who is fixing a pointed look at the clock above the door. He turns back to Chanyeol, whose mouth is turning orange. "He was the one who talked to me in one-word sentence? I used to think that _he_ didn't want to talk. Maybe he disliked me or something."

"He'd never—"

"I like you."

Jongin's blush sears through his cheeks and for a moment he thinks his face is on fire. He turns his head to the side, but the sudden rosiness gives him away. Sehun clambers over the register, slim fingers grazing Jongin's cheeks. Jongin almost tells Sehun that he may get burned, then remembers there's no actual hot oven on his face. He's just feeling extremely shy.

"I like you," Sehun blurts out. "I didn't — I could never not like you. I don't know if you need to hear this, but—"

"I do," Jongin replies instantly. "I really do. I think it was weird that you talked to an avocado, but you're cute and seeing you walking into the store is the highlight of my shift."

"Gross. I'm going back to Plato and his cave," Chanyeol announces, still munching obnoxiously on tortilla chips. "If you guys decide to maximize each other's happiness through swinish hedonistic utilitarianism, go to the back room. Stop feeding Minseok's voyeurism kink, it's unethical."

Jongin contemplates the deep meaning of life behind Chanyeol's words.

"So," he quietly asks Chanyeol, "how did you know Minseok?"

"The Socrates fan club," Sehun murmurs, and Jongin wonders whether he's joking or telling the truth.

♡

"Life is nothing but a meaningless fluctuation between pain and boredom."

Jongin doesn't need to look to know what's going on. "Sehun," he says. "It's a rotten avocado. It will either go into the trash bin or into my 4 AM spinach smoothie. It's not going to understand Schopenhauer."

"You don't deserve avocados," Sehun scowls. "Go away."

"Okay," Jongin says. "Let go of my leg then."

"Your only chance of freedom is to embrace the dark nothingness surrounding you," Sehun whimpers, petting an avocado he'd grabbed from the shelf while Jongin wasn't watching. "Have you thought about how an avocado resembles human life? It isn’t always ripe when you need to use it, just like how you might not be ready when something good comes into your life. Things don't usually work out the way we want them to."

Jongin is more worrying about the possibility of cleaning up mushy brown avocado flesh if Sehun keeps squeezing the poor fruit like that. "You can stick an avocado in a paper bag with a banana to ripen it," he shrugs. "There are tricks for everything."

"As I said, to achieve freedom, we must cast off the yoke of individualism and become one with the unyielding will of the universe," Sehun informs Jongin. His free hand, the one that isn't busy holding the avocado as if it were his first born, curls around Jongin's ankle suggestively.

"Hey Hobbes," Jongin sinks to the floor until he's face to face with Sehun. "Wanna fuck?"

"My favorite is Kant," Sehun licks his lips. "Your place or mine?"

"Yours," Jongin decides. Sehun has the most delicious ice cream in his fridge, the premium, exotic flavor that cannot be found at any normal convenience store. Sehun likes to spoon-feed him ice cream during their mandatory post-sex cuddle, which usually ends up with Sehun kissing the living daylights out of Jongin, which leads to more R-rated events that _are not suitable for minors_ , as Chanyeol dutifully reminded Sehun after Baekhyun'd coerced him into divulging the juicy details about his escapade with Jongin in the produce section, which included Sehun and Jongin using the organic cherries that were supposed to go on the shelves before the morning shift for a classic kissing test. Sehun emerged victorious after he knotted a cherry stem with his tongue in twenty seconds. Not that he needed to prove his skills, but Jongin enjoyed giving him the reward he promised.

♡

"Thank you! Please come again!" Jongin shouts enthusiastically as a young couple exits the store with their items and their new loyalty membership card.

When he looks back at the drinks aisle, he finds Sehun watching him with zero interest.

"Baby," Jongin whispers sweetly. "For the love of god, can you just join the loyalty program? It literally takes five minutes. And you don't have to even _move_. All you need to do is nod and I'll fill out the information for you."

"No," Sehun says. "Chanyeol and Baekhyun already join the program. They pay for my items. And when I come alone, I can use your employee discount. I don't need any points card."

"Brat," Jongin grumbles. "I hate you."

"You don't."

"I do."

"You don't."

"I _do._ "

Sehun laughs, then he hauls Jongin onto the top of the register, his arms around Jongin's waist and Jongin's arms around Sehun's neck, and as Sehun leans forward with a smug look in his eyes, Jongin hates to admit it, but yes, he _doesn't_ hate Sehun.

"So for next month, the store will be donating to a disaster relief fund—"

"Jongin, shut the hell up."

This time, Jongin obliges.


End file.
